This videotape, with accompanying discussion guide, addresses issues of young children's learning readiness and the readiness of the school to teach young children. The 50-minute videotape, for use as a stand-alone instruction video in one sitting or as an accompaniment to group discussions or to a self-study program, is geared toward informal opinion leaders and decision makers within the early childhood education community. The videotape contains excerpts from presentations regarding assessment and readiness in early childhood education before the North Carolina State Board of Education in 1998 and is presented in three parts. Part 1 presents five speakers, each addressing a major issue in early childhood education and learning readiness: children's family context, brain research, pedagogy, developmental diversity, and children with special needs. Part 2 presents three speakers emphasizing screening, testing, and assessment. Part 3 features presentations by three early childhood practitioners regarding the use of a portfolio system for student assessment, administrative support, and the necessity for good instructional planning. The accompanying 23-page guide is presented in 3 sections. Section 1 of the guide details how the program should be used and includes information on additional readings. Section 2 focuses on study groups, describes the videotape content, and includes issues and questions for discussion and additional information for further discussion for each section of the videotape. Section 3 concerns self-directed study with the videotape and contains questions for reflection, prompts for referencing data and information, and space for journal writing and other solo exercises. (KB)